Effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical stimulation for refractory lower urinary tract symptoms in elderly female patients

Abstract

Objective To assess the clinical effects of percutaneous electrical stimulation on refractory lower urinary tract symptoms in elderly female patients. Methods Elderly female patients with refractory lower urinary tract symptoms from July 2016 to December 2017 were recruited.According to cystoscopy results, patients were divided into an interstitial cystitis group, a suspected interstitial cystitis group and an overactive bladder group.All patients received 3 courses of transcutaneous low-frequency electrical stimulation treatment in the suprapubic bladder area, with 40 min per time, 4 times per day, 7 days per course.Bladder diaries, pain scores and overactive bladder symptom scores were recorded before and after treatment. Results A total of 27 patients with a mean age of 74.3 years were enrolled.Under the cystoscope with water dilatation, 9 cases were found to have mucosal bleeding, with mast cells detected in mucosal specimens examined via electron microscopy(in the interstitial cystitis group), 5 cases had superficial mucosal congestion(in the suspected interstitial cystitis group)and 13 cases showed normal imaging(in the overactive bladder group). In the interstitial cystitis group, the 24-h urinary frequency improved from 15.4±2.5 times before treatment to 11.9±2.0 times after treatment(P 0.05]. In the suspected interstitial cystitis group, the 24-h urinary frequency improved from (11.8±1.5) times before treatment to (8.4±1.1) times after treatment, and pain scores decreased from (6.4±1.1) to (4.2±1.1)(P<0.05). In the overactive bladder group, the 24-h urinary frequency improved from (19.2±2.0) times before treatment to (15.9±1.3) times after treatment(P<0.05), and the overactive bladder symptom score(OABSS)decreased from (8.9±1.6) to (5.9±1.6)(P<0.05). Conclusions Percutaneous electrical stimulation is an easy, safe and effective treatment in elderly females with refractory lower urinary tract symptoms, and should be encouraged in clinical practice. Key words: Urinary, incontinence; Electrical stimulation therapy